The sketched map lay on the table, Harper and Illithan had poured over it for a while before Illithan had left on her usual nightly task. He sat alone, his eyes unfocused on the map, trying desperately to think what Dylan would do. 'Not embarrassing himself would be number one,' He growled to himself mentally, he could not forgive himself for being such a wimp in front of Illithan, especially seeing as she had troubles of her own. "You did not embarrass yourself," The voice in the doorframe made him look that way, Illithan stood just inside the closed door. "I am not shallow enough as to think that was your fault, you found one of Molovan's blocks, nothing more."

"Yeah, well, you think I'd know better by now. It wasn't even a complex one!"

She sat besides him, "We all fall for the simple tricks every once in a while,"

"Sure, whatever; I was an idiot, I leapt in and didn't think first!"

"We all do these things," She snapped slightly and Harped was starting to see that she had a slight temper, one that surfaced when she knew she was right. "Do not beat yourself up over things, especially those things which cannot be changed!"

A pause filled the air and he heard Illithan remove her coat rather then saw her do it, she moved to the armchair and relaxed into it. "Who is Dylan? And Rommie? And Beka?" She questioned, wanting to hear him speak again, the silence now seemed unnatural.

He kept his eyes on the map, not quite ready to lock eyes with her again. "Dylan's the captain of the Andromeda, he's brave and I guess I want to be like him on some level," He admitted to her something he had never done before. "Rommie is the Android form of the Andromeda, a very attractive woman. Beka's the captain of the Eureka Moru, my old captain."

"What do you do?"

"I'm the engineer, sorta,"

"And Trance is the medic, Rev the counsellor,"

"Yep and then there's Tyr," She looked at him as he continued in the explanations and he smiled slightly, "No ones sure what Tyr's really up too but he's the mercenary, he does most of the killing." He looked to the map again, "I wonder where he is? If he's still on the Andromeda then I could call him down to think."

Illithan smiled again, she had read his mind deeper to find out about Tyr, and had known that he was a mercenary but did not want to make Harper feel stupid by saying it aloud. "Would he come if you asked?" When she questioned him, he shrugged, before slumping his shoulders, 'Probably not' he thought to her directly. "But one path closed - what of the Magog?"

"I don't know where he went,"

She started to drum her fingers thoughtfully again, her eyes closed as she thought. "It is late," She said at length, opening her eyes to find him thinking too. "We should wait until morning and think again, Molovan will wait a few more days before he kills your companions. We have some time, sleep on the issue and it will seem easier."

Desperation filled his eyes as he looked to her, he could not stand by and let his friends die. "What will it take for me to assure you?" She queried, "Molovan likes tradition and he is drawn to this world's fascination with it. No one is killed publicly during workdays the weekend must fall."

"Wait a sec, what are you talking about? Killing publicly?"

She felt his revulsion deeply; she too had been shocked by the world's brutality when she had first arrived yet now she knew it. "This world thrives on knowing people die, they love to watch as the innocent and condemned beg for their lives. It is weird and harrowing, to watch these people killed for so little as being in the wrong place."

"That's barbaric,"

"No, that is civilisation,"

"That's deep,"

She bowed her head slightly before looking up with a smile, "Sorry, it is part of my clan's way." 'Go on,' His mind prompted and Illithan thought for a moment, her mind running through things, she had never told any off- worlder of her clan. "We oft fight for justice, yet on our world we fight the Shalench, holding them back from the others on our world. We also think on many things, we have the years in which to do so."

Harper yawned slightly, out of weariness rather then boredom; a smile lingered once again on Illithan's face and Harper smiled back. "I'd better turn in," He stood and stretched slightly, his arms held above his head for a moment. Realisation dawned on his face and he looked into her eyes, "It's your place, you take the bed, I'll kip out here."

"No, I insist, I am comfortable,"

"It doesn't seem right for me to sleep in there,"

Illithan stood and moved to his side, she was so close that he could feel her breath on his cheek; a gentle sigh heated his cheek further and she smiled at him. "Go to bed Seamus, you need the rest more then I do," She pushed him that way and he moved in that direction.